1. Field
The present invention pertains generally to communications, and more specifically to a scheduling transmissions in a wireless communication system using adaptive delay management.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems include systems processing communications using a circuit switched, or fixed resource allocation, type technology and systems processing communications using a packet switched, or dynamic resource allocation, type technology. Circuit switching and packet switching both may be used in networks capable of high capacity. In a circuit switched communications system, a dedicated communication path is established between the sender and receiver; and network resources between the transmitter and the receiver are considered static before the start of the transfer, thus creating a “circuit.” The resources remain dedicated to the circuit during the entire transfer and the entire message follows the same path. In packet-switched networks, the message is broken into packets, each of which may take a different route to the destination where the packets. Upon receipt, the packets are recompiled to retrieve the original message. In a packet-switched system, packets representing messages or fragments of messages are individually routed between nodes. Packets are routed to a destination through an expedient route. In other words, not all packets traveling between the same two hosts will necessarily follow the same route, even when such packets are part of a single message.
In a packet switched system, or shared packet data system, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service may be used to emulate circuit switched voice communications. VoIP is typically a delay-sensitive application or service, and therefore, Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms are used to meet delay constraints on packet delivery. Other services and types of transmissions also have various delay requirements or targets to ensure QoS. Accordingly, there is a need for adaptive delay management for scheduling transmissions in a communication system.